Semicon West 2011 Overview
July,2011, Semicon West, San Francisco—This year’s conference seemed to be much more upbeat than some of the previous shows. Attendance seemed to be up and more of the attendees wore shirtsleeves rather than suits, indicating more engineers than executives.
Although the show is growing, it is still about half of its size at the peak in ’08. The positive spin on exhibitors and attendee numbers was helped by the co-located sister show Intersolar. One of the biggest announcements was that Semi CEO Stan Meyers is retiring after many years in his position.
The conference program addressed all facets of the manufacturing supply chain and also hosted workshops on standards. Highlights from show activities and presentations are available from the daily news from Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Other presentations from the keynotes and technical sessions are available on the Semicon West site.
Semi, the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International organization, is expanding its reach to cover more areas of manufacturing including solar PV, LED, MEMs, flat-panel displays, and other semiconductor technologies. The number of booths has grown compared to the recession years and the technology sessions were well received.
Semi’s outlook is optimistic. Semiconductor cycles are moving to alignment with the world wide economy and seasonal variations rather than the frequent boom and bust cycles of the past. Capacity is increasing at a steady 7 percent rate and the equipment spending is forecast to grow about 12 percent this year, with a slight decline in ’12.
Industrywide, the drivers for growth continue to be portable electronics, especially smart phones, mobile PCs, and media tablets. Two other markets that are growing rapidly include LED fabs and PV manufacturing equipment. These markets are driving capital equipment growth from $39.5 billion in ’10 to a projected $44 billion next year. The bulk of the equipment is for wafer processing at about $30 B with the balance for assembly, test, and other.
Semi continues to work with governments at all levels from Washington, to states, and local governments. The top policy priorities for ’11 are solar PV, R&D investments and tax credits, and various trade initiatives. Due to the budget issues this year, many of the new and ongoing programs may be in jeopardy, so the organization is redoubling efforts to maintain the various programs.
